Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has filed a motion to stop Kenvue, the manufacturer of Tylenol, from paying a scheduled November 26 dividend that he believes would “drain the company of hundreds of millions of dollars” needed to compensate Texans for alleged illegal and unethical conduct.
The motion follows a lawsuit filed last week by Attorney General Paxton against Kenvue and its former parent company, Johnson & Johnson, accusing them of deceptively marketing Tylenol to pregnant women despite being aware of potential risks linked to acetaminophen, the drug’s active ingredient. The lawsuit alleges that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen increases the likelihood of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children.
That lawsuit came after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (I) and President Donald Trump (R) targeted Tylenol.
The Texas attorney general is also seeking to hold Johnson & Johnson accountable for what he described as an “illegal corporate spinoff” of Kenvue designed to shield the company from financial liability.
In a statement, he railed against the drug manufacturers, vowing, “I will not allow Big Pharma to ruin the lives of Texans with their lies and then refuse to pay the bill when it’s brought to account.” “Kenvue very well may be insolvent because of its own reckless actions, and it should no longer pay fraudulent dividends as a way to avoid paying future civil penalties.”
According to Attorney General Paxton, Kenvue faces potential legal exposure in the billions of dollars for its “deeply unethical and unlawful behavior.” His motion requests that the court bar the company from issuing any dividends or making non-ordinary-course asset transfers until a final judgement is rendered.
He is also seeking an injunction to stop what he calls Kenvue’s “illegal and misleading marketing practices,” saying the action will help ensure the company pays Texas for putting profits ahead of the health of Texans.
